大方廣佛華嚴經疏 3.2

3.2

Fourth, the capacities to which the teaching is addressed: Teaching is manifested on account of capacities; apart from capacities, there are no words. The doctrine explained above is vast and profound, but it is not yet known what spiritual capacities it addresses. If one explains that which can respond, it is the complete voice of the ten bodies. Now, directly revealing those who are addressed, there are ten classes in all: the first five select those who are not fit vessels, and the latter five reveal those for whose sake it is intended. Among the former: (1) Those without faith are not vessels, because upon hearing they give rise to slander and fall into the evil destinies. (2) Those who contravene the real are not vessels, relying on this sūtra to seek fame and profit, preaching the Dharma with impurity, and amassing deviant good. The lower text of the sūtra says: "Forgetting the bodhicitta while cultivating kuśala-mūla is the work of Māra." (3) Those who deviate from the true are not vessels, meaning they grasp words according to phrasing, and the supreme principle beyond conceptual thought does not enter their minds. The treatise says: "Following sounds to grasp meanings entails five faults." The above three are all ordinary fools; hence the lower text says: "This sūtra does not fall into the hands of other sentient beings." (4) The narrow and inferior are not vessels, meaning all the two vehicles. The chapter "Tathāgatotpatti" says: "None of the two vehicles hear this sūtra, let alone uphold it. Therefore, though they are in the assembly, they are like the deaf and blind." (5) Those clinging to the provisional are not vessels, meaning the bodhisattvas of the common teaching of the three vehicles, who follow their school's gradual stages of practice and do not believe in the Dharma of complete interpenetration endowed with all virtues. The lower text of the sūtra says: "Even if a bodhisattva cultivates the six pāramitās for countless kotis of nayutas of kalpas, if they do not hear this sūtra, or hearing it do not believe, understand, conform, or enter, they cannot be called true bodhisattvas." Among the latter five that reveal those for whose sake it is intended: (1) The primary targets, meaning those with the complete capacity for the Ekayāna. The chapter "Tathāgatotpatti" says: "This sūtra is not preached for other sentient beings"—which points broadly to the first five—"It is only preached for bodhisattvas who ride the inconceivable vehicle"—which are the primary targets, meaning that when one moves, all move; the complete interpenetration of practice and stages is profound and inconceivable, and being able to universally penetrate all teachings is vast and inconceivable; hence the text says: "It is not what is known by other realms; / only practitioners of Samantabhadra can enter," and so forth. (2) The secondary targets, meaning those who, although not awakening and entering immediately, can have faith and inclination so as to form seeds, as in the chapter "Tathāgatotpatti" with the metaphor of eating diamond. For the devaputra in hell to suddenly transcend the ten stages, the kalpa-fire of the great ocean cannot be an obstacle; with respect to not yet awakening and entering, this is termed secondary. (3) Those who are guided, meaning the aforementioned bodhisattvas of the provisional teaching who do not accept the Dharma of complete interpenetration. Within the ten stages, ranks are lodged to manifest superiority, borrowing the names of the gradual progression of the three vehicles so that they think it is identical to their own Dharma; later, through perfuming, they come to believe and enter complete interpenetration, because apart from this universal Dharma there is nowhere to return, and the ultimate fruit of the provisional teaching has no real existence. (4) The provisionally targeted, meaning the two vehicles; that is, since they do not hear it, how much less do they uphold it. Therefore, bodhisattvas provisionally manifest as śrāvakas, either appearing deaf and blind in the Dharma assembly to demonstrate their lack of share, or showing themselves on the path to awaken, knowing they can turn their minds. (5) The remotely targeted, meaning that all ordinary beings, non-Buddhists, and icchantikas have the Buddha-nature, and though they do not believe now, they will surely enter in the future. The chapter "Tathāgatotpatti" says: "The great medicinal king tree of the Tathāgata's wisdom, except in two places, cannot bring about growth and benefit: namely, the two vehicles fallen into the pit of the unconditioned, and non-vessel sentient beings who have destroyed kuśala-mūla, drowning in the water of great wrong views and craving; yet toward them too, [the Tathāgata] never abandons them with weariness." The first three non-vessels are those drowning in wrong views, and the fourth non-vessel is those fallen into the deep pit; hence they are all excluded. Now the fourth and fifth show that the Buddha does not abandon them with weariness, manifesting to entice them and perfume them to form seeds. Furthermore, in that chapter, it explains that disbelieving and slandering also plant kuśala-mūla; that is, although through slandering they fall into evil destinies, by hearing it pass through their ears they will ultimately awaken. It also says: "Just as the sun also brings benefit to the born blind." And as in the metaphor of the subterranean currents of the great ocean, it explains that there are none who do not possess the Tathāgata's wisdom. And in the metaphor of breaking open a dust mote to produce a sūtra scroll, if one removes false thoughts, all see the Buddha's wisdom. All these make clear that possessing the nature that abides by its own nature is precisely what makes them targeted; how much more so since the complete interpenetration of dharmatā and the mutual penetration of stimulus and response mean that there is not a single dharma that is not addressed.